Dead Space: A Journey Through Terror Part 4 of 4 - The Future: Dead Space 3

dmcdonagh

2013-02-08

The final episode from the Dead Space Journey Through Terror mini series explores some of the future of the franchise in Dead Space 3.

Before you take down the terror in Dead Space 3 on February the 8th, take a look back on Isaac Clarke's journey so far.

In four parts, the Dead Space Journey Through Terror series charts the evolution of the Dead Space series to date - its story, its gameplay and its scares, and also provides a glimpse at what the next chapter has in store for Isaac Clarke in Dead Space 3. In this final episode of the mini series, we discover what the future has in store for Isaac.

Against all odds, Isaac’s not dead yet. After the Titan Station was destroyed, Isaac and Ellie parted ways. Isaac, now on the run from EarthGov, went to New Horizons, an overpopulated and depressing colony on Earth’s Moon. Ellie, not satisfied with hiding out, chose to search for a way to stop the Markers. Isaac couldn’t hide for long. Soon after, EarthGov Captain Robert Norton and Sergeant John Carver came knocking on his door. It seems they had been working with Ellie on finding a way to stop the Markers but Ellie had gone missing while following a lead.

To make matters worse, a Unitologist named Jacob Danik has organized his followers into an uprising that threatens to topple the government and unleash Markers across all occupied space. Isaac, Carver and Norton barely escape the zealots and head to the freezing wastes of Tau Volantis, Ellie’s last known location. There they discover an entire fleet of centuries-old ships, most of them nothing more than scrap, orbiting the planet. They also uncover an ancient government program that could reveal a way to stop the Marker threat once and for all.

A new location brings with it daunting new challenges. Isaac now faces the whiteness of endless snow as well as the darkness of space, and low visibility on the frozen planet’s surface means that a deadly attack can come from any side at any time. Not only will Isaac have new Necromorph strains to combat, but he’ll also come up against human enemies for the first time, as soldiers dedicated to Unitology’s cause are determined to silence Isaac permanently.

Luckily, with new challenges come new tools. Benches will now allow Isaac to not only upgrade existing weapons, but, by drawing on his engineering expertise, craft entirely new ones as well. There are literally thousands of options, with the ability to customise both primary and secondary fire. New universal ammo clips will mean better inventory management, and scouring the wastes for resources will yield stronger weapons.

Isaac has also learned a thing or two from his past encounters. After surviving two Necromorph infestations and conquering his inner demons, he’s become more proficient in combat and can now crouch and roll away from danger, and use a new intuitive adaptive cover system to use the environment to his advantage.

With Isaac pushing himself to the limit of human endurance in harsh climates, and with fresh snowfall bringing fresh scares, misery has never craved company quite so badly. For the first time, Isaac doesn’t have to face his fears alone. A new co-op mode introduces John Carver, an EarthGov Sergeant who experiences a Necromorph outbreak first hand and tragically loses his wife and child. Riddled with guilt and seeking redemption, his path crosses with Isaac and the two join together to combat enemies, both real and imagined.

As Carver struggles with the effects of the Marker, he begins to hallucinate, and only Isaac can pull him back from the brink. With Carver’s military prowess and Clarke’s

experience with the Necromorph plague, they undoubtedly stand a better chance of survival. Although co-op allows players to expand on the Dead Space lore and offers additional side quests and missions, it isn’t essential to completing Isaac’s story.

He may have new company to share the burden, new weapons to craft and new ground to cover, but ultimately it’s up to Isaac to uncover the secrets of the Markers and halt the spread of terror once and for all. It’s time to face your fear, and take down the terror.